Traditional processes for recovering methanesulfonic acid from compositions comprising sulfur trioxide produces methanesulfonic acid having high concentrations of impurities. Additional processing steps to produce sufficiently pure methanesulfonic acid are typically inefficient and expensive. For example, previous methods for recovering methanesulfonic acid from compositions containing sulfur trioxide on an industrial scale require very high vacuums, which inevitably increase the cost of such processes, and produce recovered methanesulfonic acid having unacceptably high levels of sulfur trioxide.
Methanesulfonic acid compositions having above a trace amount of sulfur trioxide often are undesirable for many industrial processes. For example, methanesulfonic acid compositions having more than trace amounts of sulfur trioxide may produce undesirable by products or impurities with the addition of water.
In recent years, methanesulfonic acid has become more commoditized, which has driven down profit margins. Accordingly, there is a long standing need for improved systems and process for economically recovering anhydrous methanesulfonic acid in a highly purified form from compositions additionally comprising sulfur trioxide.